I have run out of ways to say this, but here I go once more: USC uses the FAFSA only to calculate the amount of Federal aid for which you qualify. They use the CSS/Profile to distribute USC grants. Not the FAFSA. USC uses the CSS/Profile to distribute USC grants. Not the FAFSA. Your FAFSA EFC has nothing to do with whether you will get USC grants because USC grants are distributed using the information from the CSS/Profile. Not the FAFSA. They use the CSS/Profile.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for being so patient and informative. I hope I don’t burden you with a repeated question … though I’ve spent the last 6 hours researching financial aid information and reading this thread with no hope. I just have a few simple questions.</p>
<p>Grants
Federal Work Study - $2500
University Grant - $34280 Loans
Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan - $3500
" Unsubsidized " - $2000
**Total **- $42280</p>
<p>**EFC **- $13448 (Federal parent PLUS loan?)</p>
<p>Situation: My parents, making 80k a year, are still burdenned with debts in their attempt to start a new life in America. I don’t think we’ll be able to contribute that much per year.</p>
<p>1. What are the next steps I should take in paying for USC? Apply for Stafford & parent PLUS?
2. If I’m attending Graduate School for 4 years @ USC immediately after receiving my Bachelor’s, will I be able to defer payments until after Grad school?
3. I’d like to avoid work-study, especially for the first year. From your previous post, I should get a summer job to cover this. Am I to inform the school of my actions, or simply use money from summer job to put in work-study?</p>
<p>My goal is basically to go to school @ USC without having to worry too much about paying—until after I graduate from grad school.</p>
<p>Grants
Federal Work Study - $2500
Estimated ACG - Freshman - 750
University Grant - 28110 (free money yaaay)
Estimated Federal Pell Grant - 3700
Federal SEOG - 900
Loans
Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan - $3500
" Unsubsidized " - $2000
Total - $41460</p>
<p>EFC - $14268</p>
<p>Situation: I am very thankful for the aid they have given me buut I’m honestly wondering if I made some mistake somewhere as my mother makes about 9,000 a year, although we do get child support amounting to 35,000 but we’ve got three kids in college. I understand that they have given me a lot of money and that they expect me to contribute but as of right now that is going to be difficult to do. 1. In your opinion, should I appeal (this is literally the only income we have, our assets stay at about 200$ (what we have in the bank), our house was foreclosed on so we are renting a house) and 2. How should I go about applying for student loans?</p>
<p>EDIT: I was on the USC Financial Aid website and I noticed a side thing about “Requesting an Increase in Cost of Attendance.” This said it was for people who “Additional course-related expenses, Additional tuition costs or fees, Child care expenses, Disability-related expenses incurred during the academic year, Mandatory USC Student Health Insurance, One-time computer purchase, Rent exceeding the standard budgeted amount, Travel expenses for students outside California” I am a student outside of california (I live in NY) and so a round trip flight to L.A. and back is about 250$. Since all of the Stafford Loans and such are maxed out, should I request an Increase because they can really only increase the University Grant? Even if they don’t award me more money, it was worth a try because the expenses were there in the first place right?</p>
<p>First of all, THANK YOU foodfoodfOOd and Randy1991 for choosing your words so carefully. I guess you could tell my frustration was at a critical level. I feel better now :)</p>
<p>Randy1991, Yes, you can appeal. The worst they can do is say “no.” and you will be no worse off, so it is worth a shot. Present any special circumstances they may not be aware of. Check post #312 for some ideas and suggestions about budgeting and requesting adjustments.</p>
<p>Yes, they will make cost of attendance adjustments for the items listed. When they do, however, the result is usually that your loan eligiblity is increased, not your grants. I do encourage you to request COA adjustments for those items as it helps them see what your family is actually paying. That might make them a bit more sympathetic to some of your other requests.</p>
<p>It would be great to have both of you (and all our posters) at USC next year, but please spend some time discussing with your family what is best for your particular situation. If you have other more affordable options, please consider them very seriously to see if they can get you to where you want to be without the burden of a huge debt. In graduate school, grants tend to disappear - it is almost all loans in many fields - so consider if you might be better off economizing now to have money available for grad school.</p>
<p>Again, thank you for your consideration and careful wording, and best of luck!</p>
<p>Hi there, I have a question about FA…
Since I’m the first child & first person to have to apply for financial aid in my family, we were kind of confused about the process…so we didn’t submit our finaid documents/fafsa/css profile until pretty recently. I have received half-tuition (National Merit Finalist scholarship) and I was wondering if people who receive presidential scholarships normally get additional need-based scholarships/grants/aid?
Thanks in advance :)</p>
<p>Yes, students with merit scholarships may also qualify for need-based aid (depending on your calculated need). Please see page one of this thread for information about how scholarships coordinate with your need-based package.</p>
<p>last week i was approved for independent status being a veteran…but i am still waiting for an acceptance letter…can you be approved financial aid but denied admissions?</p>
<p>Admissions decisions are independant of financial aid process. All applicants receive financial aid information and reminders, and the finanacial aid office gathers the information they need for all applicants so they are ready to assemble packages when they get the list of accepted students from admissions.</p>
<p>yeah everything on my fafsa is correct its just that one figure on the css/profile. i dont get how one figure can change my financial aid that much. i put 10,000 on the amt that my family can contribute when we really can contribute 0. i thought it was just what we would expect to have to pay</p>
<p>keevwu, it can’t hurt to write to the financial aid office to explain. Tell them that you misunderstood the question and that your family cannot contribute that amount. Also FAX in a copy of the CSS/Profile with the amount on that line crossed out and the figure your family actually CAN contribute written in. Put “Correction to CSS/Profile” in big letters on the cover sheet along with your name and USC ID number. Have your parents sign next to the correction. The worst they can do is say “no.” Good luck.</p>
<p>For others reading: generally, whatever figure you put as the answer to that question is the **minimum **a school will expect you to pay. For others who have yet to fill out the forms for next year, the book I always recommend (see page one of this thread) has some suggestions for figuring out how much your family can contribute to answer that question.</p>
<p>alamemom, i already did all of that. first they rejected it then they asked for my family’s lease agreement, our last 3 months of rent checks, and how our EFC dropped from 10,000 to 0. i explained to them that i misunderstood it and now im crossing my fingers for my financial aid. thanks for the advice!</p>
<p>alamemom, i am actively on that thread…I check that everyday…maybe every hour…the wait is just unbearable and that thread gives me something to do…maybe I should introduce myself…</p>
<p>YES, you should! The wait just gets worse when the SGRs come out and others hear while those with the spring grade requests have to wait. It will help to have others in the same situation to correspond with - good luck!</p>
<p>okay so i read through the FAQ and im a little stubborn. can you guesstimate how much financial aid i will receive from USC with a EFC of 21XXX? </p>
<p>im sure you get these a lot…sorry. but i need to weigh my options as to if i should stay another year at CC or transfer over. </p>
<p>also i want to apply to the norman toppin scholarship but usually they only take EFC of 17XXX or lower. would 21XXX be…even considered?</p>
<p>Just about anyone can tell you how much Federal aid you qualify for with your FAFSA EFC since your FAFSA EFC is ONLY used to determine your eligibility for Federal aid, that part is easy: You will qualify for $3,500 Stafford subsidized and $2,000 Stafford unsubsidized loans, and possibly a work/study award. Ta-da! </p>
<p>What I cannot tell you is your eligibility for USC grants, and here is why: From another of my posts (which you must have missed in your reading of the FAQ)
</p>
<p>You can estimate for yourself what your expected contribution at USC might be by doing the worksheets in the book I always recommend, “Paying for College Without Going Broke,” or by using the “Institutional Method” calculator available on The College Board website.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>EDIT: dt123… hahahahaha! So glad you said what I was thinking!!! Thanks! :)</p>
<p>Hi, I just recently sent in my parent’s tax returns, i have yet to submit my custodial form, non-filing student form. However i submitted my css profile before the deadline but i submitted my fafsa at around march 1st or 2nd. I’m just in panic because I’m not sure if i’ll be able to recieve a lot of aid. I have been awarded with the presidential award and my mother is divorced and has an extremely low income. Someone please help i’m really worred because without the financial aid, i can’t attend USC.</p>
<p>ipop1992, I am not sure how we can help - you just have to wait to see what you are awarded. You propbably won’t get your package until after the commitment deadline of May 1st because the late document submission.</p>
<p>It would be a very good idea to contact the schools you are still considering and ask for commitment deadline extensions because you do not yet have financial aid information from all your schools. Don’t forget to also ask for an extension from USC - admissions will not assume you are waiting for financial aid information. </p>
<p>Be sure to get the extensions in writing (an email, for example), and be sure you ask for one from a school that you can afford if USC’s aid is not enough. If your affordable school will not grant an extension, you may have to deposit to that school while you wait for USC financial aid.</p>
<p>While you certainly might receive reduced aid because of the late documents, (USC states clearly that is a possibilty) I have heard of instances where applicnts received workable packages even with late documents.</p>
i’m really worred because without the financial aid, i can’t attend USC.</p>